This course challenges you to engage in near-peer mentoring while examining how race, poverty, and other socioeconomic dynamics have shaped the educational opportunitites available in historically segregated and economically distressed urban communities.  We will work with students at BEST Academy, an all-boys public high school in Atlanta's Westside.  Each Georgia Tech student will be paired with one BEST student.  The pairs will meet at least once a week and spend the semester working towards goals that help the BEST student prepare for college.  In addition to mentoring, you will study the socioeconomic issues that affect urban education through readings, classwork, and projects, and apply these insights to bring a more informed perspective to your mentoring work.  Through direct service and intentional relationships with high school students, you will share your experiences with the students as they prepare for going to college while expanding your own understanding through exposure to experiences with education that are likely differnet in some ways from your own. Note: This course is an Honors Program section for Honors Program students, by permit only.  For more information, contact Nicole Leonard.